Camping & Backpacking Breakfast Ideas

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and that’s especially true when you’re doing strenuous, heart-pumping activities like backpacking in the mountains. So if you’re an outdoors enthusiast looking for breakfast options for your next camping or backpacking trip, this one’s for you! We’re rounding up our favorite camping food meal ideas that are quick, easy, and without single-use plastic.

No-cook backpacking breakfasts

Instant Oatmeal

Warm, hearty, and nourishing, instant oatmeal is an excellent camping breakfast. Pour instant oats and hot water into a Stand-Up Mid Bag, stir, and let cool. Doctor it up with maple syrup, dried fruit, nuts, or anything else you have on hand at the campsite, and then eat right out of the bag!

Yogurt and Granola

Check out our healthy homemade granola recipe, which is free of artificial sweeteners and refined sugars – just pure, natural goodness. It’s made from a hearty combo of almonds, pepitas, and flax seeds that will keep you satiated and energized for your adventures. Eat it on its own, or pour it over Greek yogurt for extra protein.

Trail Mix

Trail mix is probably the ultimate trail food, and for good reason: it’s as endlessly customizable as the Stasher bag is endlessly reusable (😉), and it’s an easy way to get a jolt of high-value nutrition while you’re out and about. Pro tip: Trail mix can also be a great topping for instant oatmeal or yogurt.

Instant Coffee

No breakfast is complete without coffee! And while you may not have your trusty Chemex or local coffee shop on hand while you’re in the wilderness, don’t let that stand between you and a hot cup of joe. Before your trip, look for instant coffee in paper packaging rather than plastic as a small but significant way to honor the planet.

Peanut Butter Energy Bites

Energy bites are easy to whip up on the go or ahead of time, and they’re packed with energy-boosting ingredients like fiber-rich ground flaxseed and chia seeds. There are tons of ways to customize energy bites to your liking, but we’re currently drooling over this recipe. Pop a few in a Stasher Sandwich Bag, and you’ve got a great on-the-go breakfast (and maybe a snack for later, too).

No-Cook Breakfast Sandwich

For an easy no-cook breakfast, skip the eggs and bacon, and try a breakfast sandwich layered with a protein-rich spread like hummus or goat cheese, avocado, tomato, leafy greens, and smoked salmon.

No-Bake Breakfast Cookies

Much like the humble peanut butter energy bite, this recipe for no-bake breakfast cookies is something of a cross between breakfast and dessert – and it’s a great camping breakfast food! Make them the day before your departure, and store them in a Stasher Quart Bag for easy access throughout your trip.

Chia Pudding

Like overnight oats, chia pudding is best when it’s prepped the night before. In a glass jar, mix chia seeds, nut milk, and vanilla extract. (A standard ratio to consider is 2 tablespoons of chia seeds per ½ cup of liquid.) Give it a shake, and let it sit in the cooler overnight. In the morning, top it with a little fruit, maple syrup, or honey, and you’ve got yourself a nutritious breakfast!

Hot Camping Breakfast Ideas

Scrambled Eggs

Try this classic breakfast food with a Stasher twist: boil water over a camping stove, and drop a Stasher bag filled with scrambled egg ingredients (we’ve got lots of ideas for you here) into the water for about 12-15 minutes. Let the bag cool for a minute, and squish it up to scramble. Voila!

German Pancakes

Also referred to as “Dutch babies,” German pancakes can be easily made in a dutch oven over the fire. Before your trip, prep the wet ingredients in one Stasher bag and the dry ingredients in another. Once you have a roaring campfire, just combine the two bags of ingredients in a dutch oven, and cook.

Breakfast Sandwich Wrap

When we saw the viral tortilla wrap hack on TikTok, we knew it’d be the perfect camping food. Our breakfast sandwich wrap recipe includes an egg (cook it on a camp stove, or use our scrambled egg hack above), cheese, sun-dried tomato pesto, and cheese. Or swap out the tortillas for bagels, and toast over the fire to get everything nice and melty.

Quinoa Porridge

If you’re in need of meal ideas for backpacking, look no further than this raspberry coconut quinoa porridge. Why we love it: this recipe swaps out the usual rolled oats for make-ahead dehydrated quinoa, and it’s loaded with other goodness like raspberries, coconut milk, and almonds.

Breakfast Burritos

Always a favorite, breakfast burritos are a filling, ultra-compact breakfast that can be taken to-go in your favorite Stasher bag. For the burrito filling, try eggs, roasted potatoes (make them ahead of time or cook them over the fire, salsa, and our make-in-a-bag guacamole.

Grits with Kale and Sunflower Seeds

Grits are a beloved Southern breakfast staple. But while they’re usually swimming in butter, this recipe gives them a tasty, healthy twist with kale, raw cashew butter, vegetable bouillon, and sunflower seeds.

Apple Pie Rice

Here’s a lesser-known camping breakfast perfect for apple pie fans: apple pie rice! All of the ingredients are super lightweight, making it ideal for backpacking trips. To show the planet a little love, avoid single-use items like disposable plastic bags or foil packets – instead, add all of the ingredients to a Stand-Up Stasher Bag, add hot water, and dig in!

Granola with Warm Milk

If you have extra granola on hand from that yogurt and granola recipe we shared above, try eating it with warm milk (powdered milk and water, if you’re backpacking) for a warming breakfast on those chilly mornings outdoors.

From all of us here at Stasher, we’re wishing you an incredible outdoor adventure – and some really good camping and backpacking breakfasts to give you the energy you need to get out there, get moving, and get exploring.

P.S. Need to do some meal planning for the rest of your trip? We’ve got you covered with camping and backpacking lunch ideas, dinner ideas, and the best camping snacks.